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Summary
PML's Quantum Sensors Division is hiring a Cryogenic Scientist to develop, test, and optimize advanced cryogenic systems for quantum information science, improve cryocooler performance, advance refrigeration technologies through fundamental and applied research, and publish and present scientific findings.
This notice is issued under direct-hire authority to recruit new talent to occupations for which NIST has a severe shortage of candidates.
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Duties
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The mission of NIST's Quantum Sensors Division is to develop and apply advanced quantum-based photon and particle sensors that enable highly precise measurements across the electromagnetic spectrum. Through pioneering research, collaboration with industry and academia, and innovation in superconducting and cryogenic technologies, the Division advances measurement science in fields ranging from quantum computing and fundamental physics to nuclear science and astronomy. If hired for this role, your major duties will include:

• Developing, testing, and optimizing advanced cryogenic systems and refrigeration technologies to support quantum information science applications.
• Conducting independent research to improve cryocooler performance, including efficiency, size, weight, power, and overall system capability.
• Performing fundamental and applied research to advance the science of cryogenic refrigeration and develop novel cooling technologies.
• Publishing research findings in peer-reviewed journals and presenting technical results at scientific conferences.

Requirements
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Conditions of employment

• U.S. citizenship
• Males born after 12-31-59 must be registered for Selective Service
• Suitable for Federal employment
• Bargaining Unit Position: No

Qualifications
BASIC REQUIREMENTS:
A. Degree: Engineering. To be acceptable, the program must:

1. lead to a bachelor's degree in a school of engineering with at least one program accredited by ABET; or
2. include differential and integral calculus and courses (more advanced than first-year physics and chemistry) in five of the following seven areas of engineering science or physics:

• statics, dynamics
• strength of materials (stress-strain relationships)
• fluid mechanics, hydraulics
• thermodynamics
• electrical fields and circuits
• nature and properties of materials (relating particle and aggregate structure to properties)
• and any other comparable area of fundamental engineering science or physics, such as optics, heat transfer, soil mechanics, or electronics.

OR
B. Combination of education and experience college-level education, training, and/or technical experience that furnished (1) a thorough knowledge of the physical and mathematical sciences underlying engineering, and (2) a good understanding, both theoretical and practical, of the engineering sciences and techniques and their applications to one of the branches of engineering. The adequacy of such background must be demonstrated by one of the following:

1. Professional registration or licensure Current registration as an Engineer Intern (EI), Engineer in Training (EIT), or licensure as a Professional Engineer (PE) by any State, the District of Columbia, Guam, or Puerto Rico. Absent other means of qualifying under this standard, those applicants who achieved such registration by means other than written test (e.g., State grandfather or eminence provisions) are eligible only for positions that are within or closely related to the specialty field of their registration. For example, an applicant who attains registration through a State Board's eminence provision as a manufacturing engineer typically would be rated eligible only for manufacturing engineering positions.
2. Written Test Evidence of having successfully passed the Fundamentals of Engineering (FE) examination or any other written test required for professional registration by an engineering licensure board in the various States, the District of Columbia, Guam, and Puerto Rico.
3. Specified academic courses Successful completion of at least 60 semester hours of courses in the physical, mathematical, and engineering sciences and that included the courses specified in the basic requirements under paragraph A. The courses must be fully acceptable toward meeting the requirements of an engineering program as described in paragraph A.
4. Related curriculum Successful completion of a curriculum leading to a bachelor's degree in an appropriate scientific field, e.g., engineering technology, physics, chemistry, architecture, computer science, mathematics, hydrology, or geology, may be accepted in lieu of a bachelor's degree in engineering, provided the applicant has had at least 1 year of professional engineering experience acquired under professional engineering supervision and guidance. Ordinarily there should be either an established plan of intensive training to develop professional engineering competence, or several years of prior professional engineering-type experience, e.g., in interdisciplinary positions. (The above examples of related curricula are not all-inclusive.)

IN ADDITION TO THE BASIC REQUIREMENTS:
Applicants must also have 1 year (52 weeks) of specialized experience equivalent to at least the GS-9 (ZP-II at NIST) level. Specialized Experience is defined as:

• Experience researching helium compressors for the purposes of cryogenic refrigeration.
• Experience performing exergy analyses on complex machines.

OR
Master's or equivalent graduate degree as defined in the basic requirements.
OR
A combination of graduate education and specialized experience as defined in the additional requirements.
The qualification requirements in this vacancy announcement are based on the U.S. Office of Personnel Management (OPM) Qualification Standards Handbook.
If requesting reconsideration of your qualification determination, please refer to the following site: Applicant Reconsideration
Education
This position has an education requirement. Transcripts must be submitted to validate that the education requirement has been met. Unofficial transcripts will be accepted in the application package. However, an official copy will be required before a final offer of employment.
Use of foreign education for qualifications. An accredited organization must evaluate education completed outside of the U.S. to ensure that it is comparable to education received in accredited institutions in the U.S. Click here to view a listing of accredited organizations from the Department of Education's website. A copy of the foreign education evaluation (containing the results with course-by-course listing) is required with your application.
Additional information
This position is covered under NIST's Alternative Personnel Management System (APMS), a pay-for-performance system with excellent HR flexibilities to help NIST recruit and retain top talent. Learn more about the APMS here!

• We may share your application package with other selecting officials. Additional selections may be made through this vacancy.
• Click all links in this vacancy announcement to view additional information or instructions.
• You MUST select at least ONE ELIGIBILITY to be considered for this position.
• All documents submitted for this announcement must be legible to make qualification or eligibility determinations.

• The position may be non-competitively converted to a career or career-conditional appointment without further competition.
• The trial period is for the duration of the term appointment.
• The term may be extended for up to 6-years.

NIST strives to build a flexible and encouraging work environment to bring out the best in our employees. To help our employees balance responsibilities at home and at work, NIST offers a variety of work-life flexibilities. For more information, please visit our Careers website.
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Candidates should be committed to improving the efficiency of the Federal government, passionate about the ideals of our American republic, and committed to upholding the rule of law and the United States Constitution.
Benefits
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A career with the U.S. government provides employees with a comprehensive benefits package. As a federal employee, you and your family will have access to a range of benefits that are designed to make your federal career very rewarding. Opens in a new windowLearn more about federal benefits.
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Eligibility for benefits depends on the type of position you hold and whether your position is full-time, part-time or intermittent. Contact the hiring agency for more information on the specific benefits offered.